Page 31 - Social Media

X restores Taylor Swift searches after deepfake images triggered block

Elon Musk's social media platform X has restored searches for Taylor Swift after temporarily blocking users from seeing some results as pornographic deepfake images of the singer circulated online. Searches for the singer's name on the site Tuesday turned up a list of tweets as normal. A day earlier, the same search resulted in an error message and a prompt for users to retry their search, which added, "Don't fret it's not your fault". Users, however, had been able to get around the block by putting quote marks around her name. Sexually explicit and abusive fake images of Swift began circulating widely last week on X, formerly known as Twitter, making her the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and anti-abuse groups have struggled to fix. "Search has been re-enabled and we will continue to be vigilant for any attempt to spread this content and will remove it if we find it," Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, said in a statement. Earlier, he said the

Elon Musk's X pledges 100-person office in Texas to enforce content rules

The company aims to hire 100 full-time content moderators at the new location, according to Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X

AI-model developed to detect extremist users, ISIS-related content on X

Using tweets from 2009-2021, researchers have developed a predictive model that can detect extremist users and content related to the militant group 'Islamic State' (ISIS). Their work could help social media companies identify and eventually restrict such accounts in a timelier manner and abate their impact on online communities, they said. The researchers from the Pennsylvania State University, US, identified potential propaganda messages and their characteristics and developed an image classifier to find the most frequent categories of images attached to tweets about ISIS. "The Islamic State group and its affiliates, sympathisers and followers continue to manipulate online communities to spread extremist propaganda," said Younes Karimi, a graduate student at the university pursuing a doctorate in informatics and the first author of the paper published in the journal Social Media Analysis and Mining. Apart from the ISIS-linked tweets they used for analysis, the researchers further

AAP appoints social media coordinator, secretaries ahead of LS polls

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday appointed it state social media coordinator and 28 district social media secretaries for Delhi, in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Ritik Gupta has been appointed as the state social media coordinator, the party said in its X post announcing the office-bearers. "The Party hereby announces the following office bearers for the state of Delhi. Congratulations to all," the party said in a post on X. The AAP has been appointing office-bearers in various capacities in the run-up to the high octane polls.

Ram Temple event: Refrain from publishing false content, govt directs media

The government on Saturday issued an advisory to media outlets and social media platforms cautioning them against publishing any false or manipulated content related to the January 22 Ram temple event in Ayodhya. The advisory, issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said it was observed that certain unverified, provocative and fake messages were being spread, especially on social media, which can disturb communal harmony and public order. The consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya will be held on January 22 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other dignitaries in attendance. The advisory asked newspapers, private satellite TV channels and publishers of news and current affairs on digital media to refrain from publishing and telecasting any content that may be false or manipulated or has the potential to disturb communal harmony or public order in the country. "Further, as part of their due diligence obligations, social media platforms are .

Reddit may launch IPO in March, nearly 3 years since its initial filing

Delays in IPO launch may be due to unstable market conditions and Reddit's goal to 'come closer to profitability'

Meta's Director, former COO Sheryl Sandberg to leave board after 12 years

During her time at the tech giant, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, Sandberg was key to turning the social network into a money-making machine

Reddit to launch IPO, first social media offering since Pinterest, in March

It would be first IPO of a major social media company since Pinterest's debut in 2019, and would come as Reddit and its peers face stiff competition for advertising dollars from likes of TikTok & FB

DPDP rules to be out by January-end, says MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar

They will help curb deepfakes posted on social media platforms

YouTube seeks more time to remove indecent acts involving mothers, children

YouTube on Monday sought more time from the National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to comply with the apex child rights body's directions to remove videos portraying indecent acts involving mothers and sons. The NCPCR had on January 10 summoned a YouTube official to physically appear before it on January 15 with a list of channels running such content on the platform. In a statement, the commission said it has observed an alarming trend of "Child sexual abuse material" on YouTube, where challenges were portraying potential sexual abuse acts among women and minor children. "These videos have viewership, including minors, which also raises significant concerns," the NCPCR said. In response, representatives of YouTube appeared before the commission on Monday, the NCPCR said, adding that deliberations at length were held and YouTube was granted time till January 29 to comply with the directions.

How to download Instagram reels? Here are the easy steps to download

Instagram has allowed its users now to download reels. If you also want to download Instagram reels, here are the simple steps to do it

Best of BS Opinion: CBAM as an opportunity, Social media conundrum & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Social media conundrum

Moderating content will affect revenue

Meta to restrict more content targeting teens on Instagram, Facebook

The move will make it more difficult for teens to come across potentially sensitive content or accounts when they use features such as Search and Explore on Instagram

Police complaint against Amit Malviya for social media post on Bengal CM

Senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya has filed a police complaint against BJP leader Amit Malviya for allegedly making defamatory remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Bhattacharya's complaint was in response to Malviya's post on X where he claimed that absconding TMC leader Sahajahan Sheikh, the main accused in the assault case on Enforcement Directorate sleuths, has managed to escape the clutches of law enforcement agencies because of "patronage of Mamata Banerjee." "Shahjahan, who claimed to be a don of Sandeshkhali, is absconding. This would not have been possible without the patronage of Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Home Minister of West Bengal," read a portion of Malviya's post on X. "We have filed a complaint and urged the police to take immediate action against Malviya for his defamatory remarks against the chief minister," Bhattacharya, also a state minister, told reporters on Sunday. Meanwhile, the West Bengal BJP criticised the TMC for tryin

Viral video: YouTuber organises 'helicopter ride' for retiring US cop

YouTuber Mattylp was approached by police for a 'special favour', which was to provide Officer Tony a memorable experience in the skies for his service to the nation

Social media firms gain $11 bn in ads from under-18 users in 2022: Report

Social media giants like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat collectively gained nearly USD 11 billion in advertising revenue in 2022 from users younger than 18 years, according to a new US-based study. Researchers said that approximately 30-40 per cent of the advertising revenue generated by Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube was attributable to young people. They found that while among users aged 12 and under, YouTube derived the greatest ad revenue of about USD 1 billion in 2022, among those aged 13-17 years, Instagram generated the highest revenue of about USD 4 billion. The team led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, also found that from users aged 13-17 years, TikTok derived USD 2 billion and YouTube USD 1.2 billion in 2022, suggesting that these platforms have "overwhelming financial incentives" in continuing to delay meaningful steps to protect children against the harms of using social media. The researchers said that while these socia

PM urges people to share creations on Ram Temple, Ayodhya on social media

Noting that there is excitement in the country over the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to share their creations such as 'bhajans' relating to it on social media with the hashtag 'Shri Ram Bhajan', saying this compilation will turn into a flow of emotions and devotion in which everyone will be imbued with the ethos of Lord Ram. In his Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Prime Minister Modi also pointed out that there are many experienced as well as new emerging young artists who have composed heart-warming bhajans. "There is excitement and enthusiasm in the entire country in connection with the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. People are expressing their feelings in a multitude of ways. You must have noticed that during the last few days, many new songs and new bhajans have been composed on Shri Ram and Ayodhya," Modi said. Many people are also writing new poems, he noted. "There are many experienced artists in it and new emerging young artists have also

Elon Musk's X fails to block US content moderation law on disclosure

In an eight-page ruling Thursday, a federal judge in Sacramento rejected arguments by the company formerly known as Twitter that the measure violates the free-speech rights of social media platforms

Online platforms may need to delete data of users inactive for 3yrs

New Digital Personal Data Protection Rules proposed by the government may require online platforms, including e-commerce, gaming, and social media, to permanently delete data of inactive users